12
CLAIRE
The last weekhas flown by. I still go to the diner early in the morning to get some work done, and then Aurora and I spend the afternoons and evenings setting up Savage’s condo.
Tank and a couple of the other guys have moved over the crib and all the things Aurora has been using at the compound. Savage’s place has a bathtub with a shower in it, so I’m going to be able to give Aurora real baths.
Savage has a small table and chairs in the kitchen, which I’ll use as a desk when I look for jobs.
Today is my last day at the compound. I’m planning on sleeping at Savage’s condo tonight. And I hope he might consider staying there with me. I have a little something special planned for him. A surprise that I hope shows him how much I appreciate everything he’s doing for me.
Val refills my coffee and bends to chat with Aurora. “How were those pancakes, honeybun?”
“Mama.” Aurora slaps her hands against the table, her mood a lot better than it was last week. She did cut a new tooth, and she’s been sleeping better, thank goodness.
“Well, that sounds good to me.” Val laughs. “Can I get either one of you anything else?”
I nod and prepare to put my plan in motion. “So, do you know if the diner makes deliveries? I was hoping to have a special dinner for a friend tonight, and I wanted to maybe have dinner delivered to my new place.”
“Oh, congratulations.” Val gathers up my empty plate. “We do have one of those phone app delivery services. We close down to orders, though, if we’re really busy in the dining room. So, maybe order in advance?”
That’s what I was afraid of. “I don’t have a credit card right now,” I tell her. “I was hoping to pay cash for the meal and the delivery.” I’ve been working my way through the money Savage has given me, but I still don’t have a bank account or a credit card of my own. I imagine it will be a long time before I have any of that.
She nods. “I understand that. Where is your place, hun, and what time do you need the food?”
I give her the address of the condo, and she looks a little surprised. “That’s only about three miles from my place. It’s on my way home.”
My heart suddenly lurches into overdrive. I turn to Val. “My friend is Savage, the guy who orders out allthe time. I think he’d lose his mind if you delivered our dinner tonight. His favorite waitress.”
Her eyes widen. “Is Savage your boyfriend, honey? I didn’t know that.”
I cock my head. “It’s complicated.” I reach out and touch little Aurora’s hand. “I have a baby and just got out of a bad situation. He’s got some history of his own, and for now, we’re friends.”
“Close friends, I hope.” Val gives me a smile and then leans in. She tears a piece of paper off her notepad. “Write your order and your address here, honey. And if you don’t mind, give me a cell phone number. That way, if anything goes wrong, I can reach out. Just don’t tell my boss I made a delivery for you. I don’t think that’s covered under their insurance, and he’s a bit of a stickler for the rules.” She looks at me and Aurora and smiles. “But for my cutest customers, we can bend those rules a bit.”
“How do I pay you?” I ask. “I can leave a large tip now, and you can pay for the dinner…”
She waves a hand at me. “You can reimburse me when I get there. No problem, honey.” She points to the table. “Just leave the order and your info on the table.” She winks at me. “I’m excited. I’m in on a happy little surprise.”
I smile at her and realize I’m excited too. I know this isn’t my money, but I have been so dependent on Savage. He was planning on dropping me off at his condo and turning over the keys tonight, so having a little something to thank him has been on my mind allweek. His favorite diner dinner isn’t much, but it’s something I hope lets him know how much I appreciate everything he’s doing for me.
After I gather up Aurora and my laptop, Tank pulls into the lot to pick me up. “Change of plans,” he announces. “You up for a pit stop?”
I shrug. “Sure,” I say. We have no real schedule to keep today. “Where to?”
Tank meets my eyes in the mirror. “Ask Poppy. This is all her idea.”
I have no idea what Poppy has in store, but I buckle in and watch the road roll by as Tank takes me to a part of town I’ve never been to. We pull into a small but very pretty strip mall.
“Out ya go.” He jerks a thumb toward the mall. “I’ll wait here. I’m gonna text my gal and see if she’s up for a party tonight.”
I laugh. The compound’s probably planning the party to end all parties after almost months of having a mama and baby underfoot. “Well, I hope she’s able to make it.”
I like Tank, and I’m a little sad that I might not see him every day anymore. I won’t have a car at Savage’s, and he told me he’ll make sure I have rides whenever I need them, but it will be different once I’m no longer under the Heat’s roof. No more walking out and seeing what Tank’s up to, if he has the time to run me someplace.
He air-fives Aurora, who is now a pro at high fives, but she laughs harder when Tank intentionally misses.
“Uncle Tank,” he says, enunciating every syllable, hoping that she’ll start to say it.